Sgt. John R. “Doc” Allen recieving the Soldier’s Medal
Sgt. John R. Allen Jr. served as a medic for the 716th Squadron and as Lab Technician for HQs and the 716th. He flew to Grottaglie with the original crews in order to set up medic stations.
He and two other medics from the 716th were awarded the Soldier’s Medal for the rescue of six crew members of a British plane that crashed on take off. They went into the burning plane six times, removing a crew member each trip. Three of the British crew members survived because of the bravery of the American medics.
Alan R. Davis
Chillicothe, Ohio
